Sleep Deprivation: A Memory-Enhancing Drug?

Researchers report that they have identified the molecular mechanism by which sleep deprivation causes memory problems. They also suggest that drug treatment may be able to prevent the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation.

Their letter was published today in the journal Nature.

“Millions of people around the world suffer from a lack of sleep,” study co-author George S. Baillie said in a University of Glasgow news release. “This research opens the door for effective treatment of the memory loss associated with this debilitating condition."

The research team studied mice that had been deprived of sleep for five hours, reports NatureNews. They detected increased levels and activity of the “PDE4” enzyme in sleepy mice.

Then they treated sleep-deprived mice with the drug rolipram. It is a PDE4 inhibitor. The treatment prevented memory deficits that normally would have appeared after sleep deprivation.

Study co-author Christopher G. Vecsey cautioned that drugs like rolipram do have side effects. He also said that the study targets only one of the negative effects that sleep deprivation can have on the brain.

Study co-author Miles D. Houslay noted that sleep deprivation has many causes.

“People suffer sleep loss not only from disease but also jet lag, looking after young babies, getting old and through types of lifestyle,” he said. “This discovery offers hope for a simple and effective treatment.”

But sleep specialist Dr. Neil Stanley expressed concerns about the potential treatment. He worries that some people may take a drug for sleep loss when lifestyle changes would be a better solution.

“We really need to be thinking about ways to achieve adequate sleep in the first place - not how to deal with the consequences," Stanley told BBC News.

"We are always going to need drugs for people with serious disorders,” Stanley added. “But we don't want to end up medicalising lifestyles. We need to go back to basics and think about the way we as a society lead our lives, and the impact this has on our sleep, rather than looking for a cure."

In March the Sleep Education Blog reported on concerns that many healthy people are taking some medications as “smart drugs.” Learn more about sleep deprivation, and sleep and memory.

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Sleep Related Leg Cramps

You wake during the night with an intense feeling of pain in your leg or foot. A muscle suddenly contracted and tightened.

The pain may last for a few seconds or several minutes. Then it ends as suddenly as it began.

This describes a typical episode of a sleep related leg cramp. These leg cramps can be disruptive to your sleep. Lingering soreness from a leg cramp also can make it hard for you to go back to sleep.

Sleep related leg cramps are most common in older adults. They also occur frequently in pregnant women.

You may be more likely to have leg cramps if you have diabetes. They also may be more likely to occur if you are dehydrated.

You may be able to relieve the pain by stretching the affected muscle. Massaging the muscle also may help.

Regular exercise may help prevent sleep related leg cramps; this exercise should include stretching the leg muscles.

The drug quinine has been used to treat leg cramps. But in 2006 the FDA cautioned consumers about serious safety concerns and risks related to the drug.

“Because of the drug's risks, FDA believes it should not be used to prevent or treat leg cramps,” said a FDA news release.

Learn more about sleep related leg cramps on SleepEducation.com.

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Sleepless in Brazil

A new study shows that Americans aren’t the only people who have sleep problems. The study surveyed Brazilian adults about their sleep complaints. The results were published last week in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The study involved a random sample of 2,110 adults from 150 cities in Brazil. Surveys were conducted during face-to-face interviews.

Results show that 63 percent of people had at least one sleep complaint. Sleep problems significantly increased with age. Insomnia and nightmares were more common in women; snoring was more common in men.

Insomnia was the most common complaint overall; it was reported by 33 percent of people. Twenty-nine percent of people reported having a problem with snoring.

Nightmares were reported by 22 percent of people. Twelve percent reported having a problem with “kicking legs.” This could be a sign of either restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movements.

Six percent of people complained of “breathing pauses” during sleep. This is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea.

The authors estimate that more than 79 million people in Brazil have sleep disorder complaints.

Image by Kaysha

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Positional Therapy: Sleep Apnea & the Tennis Ball Technique

A new study from Australia examined long-term compliance with the tennis ball technique in people with obstructive sleep apnea. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

What is the tennis ball technique? It is a simple method of positional therapy that helps you avoid sleeping on your back. It was first introduced in the early 1980s.

A tennis ball is fastened to the back with a belt or strap. This makes sleeping on your back uncomfortable.

Soft tissue in the throat is less likely to collapse and block the airway when you sleep on your side. As a result positional therapy may help reduce the breathing pauses that occur when you have OSA.

The study involved 67 people with OSA, mostly men. They were overweight and had an average age of 60 years.

They had an overall apnea-hypopnea index of 29.6 breathing pauses per hour of sleep; an AHI of 15 to 30 is considered “moderate” sleep apnea. Their average AHI soared to 53 when sleeping on their back; it dropped to 14.1 when side sleeping.

They were instructed to use the tennis ball technique. Then they were followed up after an average of 2.5 years.

Results show that only four people reported that they were still using the technique. Nine people claimed that they had learned to avoid sleeping on their back.

The primary complaint was that the technique was too uncomfortable. Another common complaint was that the tennis ball moved around. Some people said the technique was ineffective. Others reported that it caused backache.

A similar study in 2006 followed up 50 people after six months. Nineteen people were still using the technique; 12 said that they had learned to avoid back sleeping.

Other variations of the technique have been used. These include a backpack with a foam ball inside, a vest that contains a piece of hard foam, a thoracic anti-supine band, a triangular pillow, and a posture alarm.

The AASM reports that positional therapy can be an effective treatment option. But some people with OSA will continue to have breathing pauses while side sleeping. Talk to your sleep specialist to see if positional therapy is a good option for you.

Get help for sleep apnea at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Image by Tiffany

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Use Bedtime Routines and Relaxation Techniques to Sleep Better

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine examines the strategies people use to reduce daytime sleepiness.

Taking a bath was the most common sleep management practice for both men and women; 59 percent of men and 64.4 percent of women used it. Keeping a regular sleep schedule was the second most popular tactic.

People also wound down for the night by listening to music, snacking and exercising.

The results show that taking a bath and going to bed at the same time every night were the best ways to decrease daytime sleepiness. Snacking at night made people feel sleepier the next day.

One of the study’s authors said that culture influences the way people manage their sleep.

The study, conducted in Japan, includes data from 24,686 adults who completed a national health survey.

Don’t worry if you have a few sleepless nights. It is common to suffer from occasional bouts of insomnia. Stress, irregular sleep patterns and pain can cause you to lose sleep for short periods of time. This is known as adjustment insomnia. Once the problem is resolved sleep usually returns to normal.

What are some healthy ways to get better sleep?

The AASM recommends:

• Go to bed at a regular time each night.


• Wake up at the same time each night, even on weekends.


• Avoid naps if you can during the day.


• Don’t drink caffeine in the afternoon.

Find more tips about good sleep hygiene at Sleep Education.com.

Contact an AASM-accredited sleep disorders center if you have an ongoing sleep problem.

Image by Laura Taylor

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LESSON 8: Money Isn't Nothing.

Like many sorta-liberal, sorta-hippie, independent NYC gals in their early 30s, I never wanted to believe a wealthy man was the key to a happy life. On the contrary, in fact. I have dated enough moneybags to know, they’re more trouble than they’re worth. In short, I’ve always found that money often equals freaky, weird, fucked-up.

BUT I also knew I couldn't live with poor.

My career has never ever been the driving force of my life. However, in the last few years, I’ve established one. A decent one, actually. These days, I could easily take care of myself, a small child and even a cute puppy, if one found its way under the Christmas tree. But even in my pre-working girl days of fun, travel and freelance, I managed to live decently, never incurring debt nor sleeping on too many couches (some i admit). Overall, I lived within my means, one pizza slice at a time. Sure, I couldn't afford a lot of banana pudding from Magnolia but I had my basic needs covered. And then, a few years ago, I knew I wanted more. So I got myself a real job. Do I cheer when I wake up every morning to go to work? No. Do I ask for sleepless nights dreaming up the big idea for a reinsurance company? No. Can I live with it, because I’m a grown-up who can take care of myself and contribute to something, anything other than my self-involved self? Yes, sadly.

My point: if you want a grown-up relationship, don't get involved with a pauper. Generally speaking, people who can take care of themselves, financially and emotionally, are more likely to have the bandwidth and ability to support another person—and I'm not talking about financially. Wanna be in a well-balanced relationship? Don't get involved with someone raiding your couch for lunch money.

You may wonder how I define "poor". I actually think of it as more a state of mind than circumstancial. Meaning a 27-year-old creative writing grad student with ambition and potential is very different than a 45-year-old career Dominos pizza delivery boy. And of course, we all have our individual definitions. After the age of 26, I could no longer date another struggling actor. But then again, that probably had nothing to do with the money thing.

Ultimately, you're gonna do what you want to get to where you're going. And hopefully, you'll learn lots of good stuff a long the way. But at the very least, heed my advice: Stay away from actors*—however poor or wealthy. Don't say, I didn't warn you.

*you know the kind

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Lesson 7: First Soul-Search. Then Soulmate Search.

We’ve all gone through personal crises—for some, it’s the realization that your 22-year career has been a huge mistake; for others, it’s the discovery you’ve been drinking decaf for the last two months. Whatever it is, it rocks your world in such a way that you question EVERYTHING—your life, your purpose, your choices, your family, friends, partners, job, home, or for some, lack thereof.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the exact WRONG time to drag anyone into your personal drama.

It’s a fact of life, we all have bigger baggage at many points of our lives. But if you’re looking to get into a relationship, strive to bring the lightest load possible.

Yes, people grow in relationships. And yes, there are ample opportunities to develop. But only when you’re able to see them. Right now, you can’t find a tree in the forest.

I’m not saying someone new won’t be able to give you a new perspective and help you emotionally through a rough patch. It’s possible, but it’s short-lived and highly-dysfunctional. You must ask yourself, “Who is this person? And why is she wiping the snot from my nose and making this big investment in someone she met last week?” You might say you offer something else to him that he needs. Most likely though, you’re just two troubled souls providing each other solace until you break up and realize you’ve got some stuff to sort out on your own. That’s the thing with relationships, they’re great hiding spots.

I had a succession of relationships with really troubled characters and I am fairly certain that I caused more damage than good—to them and certainly to myself. I was looking for stable, normal relationships with men with whom I became emotionally attached and were completely unable to reciprocate, as they were so entirely up their own butts in their own issues. This, I can assure you, was no fun for me and made me question what the hell I was doing. For them, I allowed them to avoid their issues until the relationships ended and until they found their next pathetic victims, god bless them. Sadly, some people will always live in a permanent crisis. I have no answers for this.

So when do you know it’s safe to get into a relationship? Well, only you know when you’re able to stand on your own, without crutches or an electric scooter. And when you are ready, you’re more likely to find some other not-crippled individual. Sure, you may need some piggy-back rides along the way, but at the end, you’ll always have your own two, beautiful (or crusty and callused) feet to keep you standing.

Remember, successful relationships involve two strong people. When two people enter a relationship in positions of strength, there is a healthy balance of give and take—which over time will fluctuate with shifting needs and circumstances. Without this delicate balance, your relationship is sure to be one more area for crisis. But maybe you’re into that sort of thing.

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